Something to Keep You Warm
by vulgar shudder
Summary: Winter nights are drawing in, and on watch one night at the prison Daryl brings Carol something to help. Caryl friendship/running to something a bit more... One-shot.


_Notes: Un-betaed or America-picked (looking for walking dead beta!), really very mild but it's quiet moments like these I really love about these two. Talking about hunting and killing cute animals if that bothers you. _

**Something to Keep You Warm**

by Vulgar Shudder

Winter was setting in, and Carol breathed onto her fingers to try and warm them up. She was sitting up in the guard tower on watch, and with all the broken windows it offered little shelter from the night chill. She was sure she'd be fumbling with the safety if she needed to use the M4A1 that she held between her knees, the rifle butt resting between her boots.

It had been several months since the Governor's attack on the prison and they'd taken in Woodbury's refugees, but paranoia was still running high that the Governor would make a reprisal.

Those able to were all rotated on guard duty, and tonight it was Carol's turn. She let out a long breath, the moisture from it clouding into a fog in the cold air.

In the quiet of the night she heard heavy boots on the stairway, and was relieved someone had come to relieve her boredom.

Carol saw Daryl appear through the door's window pane, and he let himself in. "Heard ya were on watch duty tonight." He said and he held out a thermos. "Thought you might like some coffee."

Carol smiled at him and took the offered thermos gratefully. "Oh thank you, that's just what I needed." She nodded at the other fold up chair in the guard tower. "Share it with me," she invited him to sit down.

Daryl nodded dropping a bag onto the floor and unfolded the chair next to her. He looked out over the fields and Carol poured some of the hot coffee into the lid before handing the open thermos to Daryl to drink directly from.

"Gettin' cold now," Daryl commented as he toyed with the metal jar, rolling it between his hands without drinking it.

"Sure is," Carol replied enjoying the steam rising from the cup before she took a sip. She glanced at Daryl beside her, watched the way he fidgeted and played with the thermos. He wanted to say something, so she waited.

Daryl cleared his throat, "I 'member how cold you got last winter."

Carol shrugged, "Well this year we have proper shelter at least." She was waiting still, he'd come out with it in the end.

With a sudden movement he reached down to the bag on the floor. "Dunno if you`ll like it..." he said as he picked it up and passed it over to her.

She put the coffee down on the table on the other side of him, and took the canvas sports bag from him. Brow creasing in confusion, she unzipped it, and inside was a bundle of grey fur. She pulled it out and unfolded it, and could see it was a long stretch of grey and red fur, covered in long black guard hairs. On either end two grey and black bushy tails hung down. It felt incredibly soft, and the reverse side had a black satin lining

Seeing her confusion he explained, "Saw some foxes, and the fur's pretty warm. Didn't have enough for anythin` too fancy like a coat, but figured a stole would help keep ya warm." He was looking firmly on the floor, embarrassment getting the better of him.

Carol's eyes widened as she looked at him, "You made this?"

Daryl was sure even in the darkness the flush that crept to his cheeks was visible. "Well I killed it, skinned it, cured the hide wit brains and stuff...but that Mrs. Chester lady, she pretty good wit sowin' an' stuff so she put it all together nice, better than I can do anyway..."

Carol let the stole drop to her lap so she could stroke her hand over it soft fur. It wasn't really PC nowadays to wear fur, but when she was a little girl she remembered the ladies like her Grandma in their Sunday best, with their furs and little hats. She always thought how delicate and elegant they looked in their white gloves as they poured tea for each other and chatted. It wasn't like Ed would have brought her anything as expensive and nice as this, and Daryl had gone to the trouble to make it for her.

Her silence un-nerved him, "If you don't like it it's no big deal."

"No, no," She cut him off and a smile broke out on her face. "It's lovely, I never thought I'd have anything as beautiful as this."

Peering at her from under his hair and he placed his coffee on the floor; he took the stole from her and wrapped it around her shoulders. "There's a button thing here," he told her, and drew the sides together where a hoop of elastic went around a button sewn into the inside so it stayed around her shoulders.

He quickly with drew his hands and picked up the thermos from the floor, to take a sip of black coffee.

Carol ran her hands over the fur and laughed to herself, "I feel like one of those old movie stars."

Daryl turned to look her over, before adding quietly, "you look like one." There was only the silence of the night and the lazy mist of their breaths between them, and Daryl ducked his head back down to stare at the coffee in his hands.

She smiled fondly at him, and reached out to run her hand over the sleeve of his leather jacket. "Thank you," she told him and withdrew her hand.

He was avoiding eye contact with her by staring at the place where her hand had been.

Carol let him be and the silence draw out as she pulled the fur more tightly around her, letting her cheek rub over the pelt.

"Well yer won't be so cold on watch anyway," he told her and left what was left in the thermos for her and stood up to leave, "g'night."

She uttered her goodnight but she stopped him before he got out the door, "Oh Daryl," she asked.

He stopped and turned back to her, "yeah?"

"Those foxes you got...we didn't eat them did we?"

Daryl hesitated, his eyes crinkling as he thought of his answer, "be a waste not to."

"Oh god..."

"About a month ago, that kind of spicy fried meat, bit tough.."

Carol resisted the urge to groan, "I remember."

"Have to boil it for a few hours before frying it, told Beth to put lots of herbs and spices on it...fox got a real gamey taste to it," the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he tried to hide his amusement at her reaction. "Yeah, fox don't taste that good," he admitted.

Carol sighed, "well I got a nice fur stole out of it." Really, it wasn't the worst they had eaten in the past year. "Goodnight, and thanks for the coffee," she smiled at him again.

"Was nothin'," Daryl told her again, his gaze lingering on her for a few seconds longer than necessary, then ducked out of the guard house, leaving Carol feeling warmer and happier than she had a few minutes ago.

The End

My first walking dead fic and first one shot in over a decade! Let me know what you think!


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